Message on the theme of the holy Great Martyr Nikita. Venerable Nikita the Stylite, Wonderworker of Pereslavl

The Monk Nikita the Stylite of Pereslavl was a native of the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky and was in charge of collecting state taxes and taxes. In 1152, Prince Yuri Dolgoruky transferred the city of Pereslavl and the stone church in the name of the All-Merciful Savior to a new location. In connection with the costs of building the city and the temple, an increased collection of taxes from the inhabitants of the city was carried out. Nikita, who led these collections, robbed the inhabitants mercilessly, collecting huge sums of money for himself. This went on for many years. But the Merciful Lord, desiring to save all sinners, led Nikita to repentance.

One day he came to church and heard the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Wash yourself and you will be clean, take away the wickedness from your souls ... learn to do good ... deliver the offended, judge the orphan (protect the orphan) and justify the widow” (Is. 1, 16-17). Like thunder, he was shocked by these words that penetrated into the depths of his heart. Nikita spent the whole night without sleep, remembering the words: “Wash yourself and you will be clean.” However, in the morning he decided to invite friends in order to forget the horrors of the previous night in a cheerful conversation. The Lord, again, called Nikita to repentance. When the wife began to prepare dinner to treat the guests, she suddenly saw in a boiling cauldron either a human head pop up, or an arm, or a leg. Terrified, she called her husband, and Nikita saw the same thing. Suddenly, a dormant conscience awakened in him, and Nikita clearly realized that with his requisitions he was acting like a murderer. “Alas for me, I have sinned a lot! Lord, guide me in Your way!" With these words, he ran out of the house.

Three versts from Pereslavl there was a monastery in the name of the Holy Great Martyr Nikita, where Nikita, shocked by a terrible vision, came. With tears, he fell at the feet of the abbot: “Save the perishing soul. Then the abbot decided to test the sincerity of his repentance and gave his first obedience: to stand at the monastery gates for three days and confess his sins to all who pass by. With deep humility, Nikita accepted the first obedience. Three days later the abbot remembered him and sent a monk to see what he was doing at the monastery gates. But the monk did not find Nikita in the same place, but found him lying in a swamp; he was covered with mosquitoes and midges, his body was covered in blood. Then the abbot himself with the brethren came to the voluntary sufferer and asked: “My son! what are you doing with yourself?" "Father! Save a perishing soul,” answered Nikita. The hegumen dressed Nikita in a sackcloth, himself led him into the monastery and tonsured him into monasticism.

Taking monastic vows with all his heart, the Monk Nikita spent days and nights in prayer, singing psalms and reading the lives of the holy ascetics. With the blessing of the abbot, he put heavy chains on himself and dug two deep wells in the places of his monastic deeds. Soon the monk intensified his feat - he dug a deep round hole and there, placing a stone cap on his head, he stood, like the ancient pillars, for fiery prayer. Only the blue sky and the night stars he saw from the bottom of his pillar-well, and a narrow underground passage led under church wall- according to him, the Monk Nikita went to the temple for Divine services.

Thus, striving for a good deed in the monastery of the Great Martyr Nikita, the Monk Nikita himself ended his life as a martyr. One night, the relatives of the saint, who came to him for a blessing, were seduced by his shining chains and crosses, mistaking them for silver, and decided to take possession of them. On the night of May 24, 1186, they dismantled the covering of the pillar, killed the ascetic, removed the crosses and chains from him, wrapped them in coarse linen and fled.

Before the morning Divine Liturgy, the sexton, who came to Saint Nikita for a blessing, discovered the dismantled roof and informed the abbot about it. The abbot with the brethren hurried to the pillar of the saint and saw the murdered saint, from whose body a fragrance emanated.

Meanwhile, the killers, having stopped on the banks of the Volga River, decided to divide the booty, but they were surprised to see that it was not silver, but iron, and threw the chains into the Volga. The Lord glorified these visible marks secret deeds and labors of the saint. That very night Simeon, the pious elder Yaroslavl Monastery in the name of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, I saw three bright beams of light over the Volga. He reported this to the abbot of the monastery and the elder of the city. The cathedral of priests and numerous townspeople who came down to the river saw three crosses and chains "like a tree floating in the waters of the Volga." With reverence and prayers, the chains were transferred to the monastery of the Great Martyr Nikita and laid on the tomb of the Monk Nikita. At the same time, healings took place. Around 1420-1425 Saint Photius, Metropolitan of Moscow, gave his blessing to open the relics of Saint Nikita. The abbot of the monastery with the brethren performed a prayer service, then they opened the birch bark with which the imperishable body was wrapped, but suddenly the grave was covered with earth and the relics remained under a bushel. In 1511-1522. a chapel was erected in the name of the Monk Nikita, and in the 19th century, Archpriest A. Svirelin compiled an akathist to the saint.

The Holy Great Martyr Nikita was a Goth. He was born and lived on the banks of the Danube. He suffered for Christ in 372. Then Christian faith already widespread in the country of the Goths. Saint Nikita believed in Christ and received Baptism from the Gotthian bishop Theophilos, a member of I Ecumenical Council. The pagan Goths began to resist the spread of Christianity, as a result of which internecine strife arose.

After the victory of Fritigern, who led the army of Christians and defeated the pagan Athanaric, the faith of Christ began to spread more successfully among the Goths. Bishop Ulfilas, the successor of Bishop Theophilus, created the Gothic alphabet and translated many sacred books. Saint Nikita also worked diligently in spreading Christianity among his fellow tribesmen. By his example and inspired word, he led many pagans to the faith of Christ. However, after the defeat, Afanarich managed to improve his strength again, return to his country and restore his former power. Remaining a pagan, he continued to hate Christians and persecute them. Saint Nikita, subjected to many tortures, was thrown into the fire, where he died in 372. A friend of Saint Nikita, a Christian Marian, at night found the body of the martyr, undamaged by fire and illumined by miraculous light, transferred it and buried it in Cilicia. Subsequently it. was moved to Constantinople. A particle of the holy relics of the Great Martyr Nikita was later transferred to the Vysoki Dečany monastery in Serbia.

Vmch. Nikita with life. Icon. Moscow. 1st half of the 16th century 91 x 74. From the aisle of the military commander. Nikita of the left-bank church of Leonty of Rostov. UGIAHM. Uglich.

Vmch. Nikita. Icon. Rus. 17th century Church-Archaeological Cabinet of the Moscow Theological Academy.

Pechersk icon Mother of God with the upcoming World Cup. Nikita and VMC. Anastasia the Patterner

During the reign of Emperor Trajan, there lived in Rome a voivode named Placida. He came from a noble family and had great wealth. His bravery in war was so famous that the mere name of Placis made his enemies tremble. Even at the time when the emperor Titus fought in the land of Judea, Plakida was an outstanding Roman commander and was distinguished in all battles by undaunted courage.

According to his faith, Plakida was an idolater, but in his life he did many good, Christian deeds: he fed the hungry, clothed the naked, helped the needy and freed many from bonds and prison. He sincerely rejoiced if he had to help someone in trouble and sorrow, and even rejoiced more than his glorious victories over enemies. As once Cornelius, about whom is narrated in the book of the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 10 ch.), Plakida achieved complete perfection in all good deeds, but did not yet have holy faith in our Lord Jesus Christ - that faith, without which all good deeds are dead (James 2:17). Plakida had a wife as virtuous as himself, and two sons. To all, Plakida was very kind and merciful; he lacked only the knowledge of the One true God, Whom he, not yet knowing, already revered as his own. good deeds. But the merciful Lover of mankind, the Lord desires salvation for everyone and looks down on those who do good: " In every nation the one who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him"(Acts 10:35). He did not despise this virtuous man, did not allow him to perish in the darkness of idol error, and He Himself deigned to open the way to salvation for him.

One day Plakida, as usual, went hunting with soldiers and servants. Having met a herd of deer, he placed the riders and began to chase the deer. Soon he noticed that one, the largest of them, had separated from the herd. Leaving his warriors, Plakida with a small retinue chased the deer into the desert. The companions of Placis soon became exhausted and remained far behind him. Plakida, having a stronger and faster horse, continued the pursuit alone until the deer ran up a high rock. Plakida stopped at the foot of the rock, and, looking at the deer, began to think about how to catch him. At this time, the All-good God, by various means leading people to salvation and to Him alone famous destinies instructing them on the path of truth, caught the fisher himself, appearing to Placis, as once to the Apostle Paul (Acts 9: 3-6). Continuing to look at the deer, Plakida saw a shining cross between its horns, and on the cross was the likeness of the flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ crucified for us. Amazed by this wonderful vision, the governor suddenly heard a voice saying:

“Why are you persecuting Me, Placis?

And along with this Divine voice, fear instantly attacked Plakida: having fallen from the horse, Plakida lay on the ground as if dead. Barely coming to his senses from fear, he asked:

Who are you, Lord, who speaks to me?

And the Lord said to him:

- I am Jesus Christ, God, who was incarnated for the salvation of people and endured voluntary suffering and death on the cross, Whom you, unknowingly, honor. Your good deeds and abundant alms have come to Me, and I desired to save you. And so I have come here to entrap you into the knowledge of Me and to add you to My faithful servants. For I do not want a man who does righteous deeds to perish in the snares of the enemy.

Rising from the ground and no longer seeing anyone in front of him, Plakida said:

“Now I believe, Lord, that You are the God of heaven and earth, the Creator of all creatures. From now on, I worship the One and only You, and I do not know God other than You. I pray you, Lord, teach me what to do?

“Go to a Christian priest, receive baptism from him, and he will guide you to salvation.

Filled with joy and tenderness, Plakida fell to the ground in tears and bowed to the Lord, who honored him with His appearance. He lamented that until now he did not know the truth and did not know the true God, and at the same time he rejoiced in spirit that he was worthy of such grace, which revealed to him the knowledge of the truth and set him on the right path. Mounting again, he returned to his companions, but, keeping his great joy secret, he did not tell anyone what had happened to him. When he returned home from hunting, he called his wife back and told her in private everything that he had seen and heard. His wife, in turn, told him:

“Last night I heard someone say these words to me: You, your husband and your sons will come to Me tomorrow and know Me, Jesus Christ, true God who sends salvation to those who love Me. “Let’s not delay, let’s do right away what we are commanded to do.”

The night has come. Plakida sent to look for where the Christian priest lives. Having learned where his house was, Plakida took with him his wife, children and some of his faithful servants, and went to a priest named John. Having come to him, they told the priest in detail about the appearance of the Lord and asked to be baptized. Having listened to them, the priest glorified God, who chooses even from among the Gentiles those who are pleasing to Him, and having taught them the holy faith, he revealed to them all the commandments of God. Then he made a prayer and baptized them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And they were given names at holy baptism: Plakida - Eustathius, his wife - Theopistia, and their sons - Agapius and Theopist. After baptism, the priest communed them with the Divine Mysteries and released them in peace, saying to them:

- God, who enlightened you with the light of His knowledge, and called you into the inheritance of eternal life, may he always be with you! When you are worthy of the sight of God in that life, remember me, your spiritual father.

Thus having been reborn in holy baptism, they returned to their home, filled with unspeakable joy. Divine Grace illumined their souls with a quiet light and filled their hearts with such bliss that it seemed to them that they were in heaven and not on earth.

The next day, Eustathius, mounting a horse and taking some servants with him, went as if on a hunt to the very place where the Lord appeared to him, in order to give Him thanks for His inscrutable gifts. Arriving at that place, he sent out servants to look for booty. Himself, getting off the horse, fell face down on the ground and prayed with tears and thanked the Lord for His inexpressible mercy, that He deigned to enlighten him with the light of faith. In his prayer, he handed himself over to his Lord, surrendering himself in everything to His good and perfect will and praying to Him that, by His goodness, He would arrange everything for him for his benefit, as He Himself knows and pleases. And he had a revelation here about the misfortunes and sorrows that were coming upon him.

“Eustace,” the Lord said to him, “it is fitting for you to show in practice your faith, firm hope, and fervent love for Me. All this is known not in the midst of temporary wealth and vain prosperity, but in poverty and misfortune. You, like Job, will have to endure many sorrows and experience many disasters, so that, being tempted like gold in a furnace, you will be worthy of Me and receive a crown from My hands.

“May Thy will be done, Lord,” answered Eustathius, “I am ready to accept everything from Thy hands with thanksgiving. I know that You are good and merciful, and as the merciful Father punishes; Shall I not accept from Thy merciful hands the paternal punishment? Truly, I am ready, like a slave, to bear with patience everything that is laid on me, if only Your all-powerful help would be with me.

“Are you now willing to endure tribulations, or in last days your life?

“Lord,” said Eustathius, “if it is impossible to completely avoid temptations, then now let me endure these calamities; only send me Your help, so that evil does not overcome and tear me away from Your love.

The Lord said to him:

- Take heart, Eustathius, for My grace will be with you and protect you. You will face deep humiliation, but I will exalt you, and not only in heaven will I glorify you before My angels, but among people I will restore your honor: after many sorrows, I will again send you consolation and restore your former dignity. You should, however, rejoice not in temporary honor, but in the fact that your name is inscribed in the book of eternal life.

Thus Saint Eustathius conversed with the invisible Lord and, filled with Divine grace, received revelations from Him. Rejoicing in spirit and burning with love for God, he returned to his house. Everything that was revealed to him by God, Eustathius told his honest wife. He did not hide from her that they were facing many misfortunes and sorrows, and urged them to endure them courageously for the sake of the Lord, Who would turn these sorrows into eternal joy and joy.

Listening to her husband, this prudent woman said:

- May the will of the Lord be over us; but with all zeal we will begin to pray to Him only that He will send us patience.

And they began to live piously and honestly, striving in fasting and prayer, distributing alms to the poor even more plentifully than before, and more diligently perfecting themselves in all the virtues.

After a little time, by the permission of God, sickness and death befell the house of Eustathius. All his household fell ill, and in a short time, not only almost all of his servants, but also all the livestock died. And since those who survived lay sick, there was no one to guard the treasure of Eustathius, and thieves plundered his estate at night. Soon the glorious and rich governor became almost a beggar. Eustathius, however, was not in the least saddened by this and did not fall into inconsolable grief: in the midst of all these trials, he did not sin before God in anything, and, thanking Him, he spoke like Job:

– "The Lord gave, the Lord took; may the name of the Lord be blessed!"(Job 1:21).

And Eustathius consoled his wife so that she would not grieve over what was happening to them, and she, in turn, herself consoled her husband; and so both of them endured sorrows with gratitude to God, entrusting themselves to His will in everything and being strengthened by the hope of His mercy. Seeing that he had lost his property, Eustathius decided to hide from all his acquaintances somewhere far away, and there, without revealing his noble origin and high rank, to live among common people in humility and poverty. He hoped that, leading such a life, he would serve Christ the Lord, impoverished and humbled for the sake of our salvation, without any obstacle and far from worldly rumors. Eustathius consulted with his wife about this, after which they decided to leave home at night. And so, secretly from their household - of which there are quite a few left, and then the sick - they took their childrenand left their home. Coming from a noble family, being a great dignitary, beloved by the king, respected by all, Eustathius could easily regain his glory, honor, and wealth, which he had lost, but, considering them to be nothing, he left everything for the sake of God and wanted Him alone. have a patron. Hiding, so as not to be recognized, Eustathius wandered through unknown places, stopping among the most simple and ignorant people. Thus, leaving his rich palaces, this imitator of Christ wandered, having no shelter anywhere. Soon the king and all the nobles found out that their beloved governor Plakida had disappeared to no one knows where. Everyone was perplexed and did not know what to think: did someone destroy Plakida, or did he himself accidentally die somehow. They grieved greatly for him and looked for him, but they could not comprehend the mystery of God, which took place in the life of Eustathius, for " For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who was his counselor?"(Rom. 11:34).

The Saints Nikita, Procopius and Evstafiy. Novgorod icon.

While Eustathius and his family were in one unknown place, his wife said to him:

- How long, my lord, will we live here? Let's go away from here to distant lands, so that someone does not recognize us, and so as not to become the subject of ridicule from our friends.

And so, together with the children, they went along the road leading to Egypt. After walking a few days, they came to the sea, and seeing a ship in the pier ready to sail for Egypt, they boarded this ship and set sail. The owner of the ship was a stranger and a very fierce man. Enticed by the beauty of Eustathius's wife, he was inflamed with passion for her and had in his heart a crafty intention to take her away from this wretched man and take her for himself. Having sailed to the shore, where Eustathius had to leave the ship, the owner, instead of paying for transportation by sea, took his wife Eustathius. He began to resist, but could not do anything, for the ferocious and inhuman stranger, drawing his sword, threatened to kill Eustathius and throw him into the sea. There was no one to intercede for Eustathius. Weeping, he fell at the feet of the evil man, begging him not to separate him from his beloved friend. But all his requests were unsuccessful, and he heard a decisive answer:

“If you want to stay alive, shut up and get out of here, or immediately die here by the sword, and let this sea be your grave.”

Sobbing, Eustathius took his children and got off the ship; the owner of the ship, leaving the shore, raised the sails and set sail. How hard it was for this charitable man to be separated from his chaste and faithful wife! With eyes full of tears, and with hearts torn with sorrow, they saw each other off. Eustathius sobbed, remaining on the shore, his wife sobbed on the ship, forcibly taken away from her husband and taken away to an unknown country. Is it possible to express their sorrow, crying and sobbing? Eustathius stood on the shore for a long time and watched the ship as long as he could see it. Then he set out on his journey, taking his young children with him; and the husband wept for his wife, and the children wept for their mother. The only consolation for the righteous soul of Eustathius was that he accepts these trials from the hand of the Lord, without whose will nothing can happen to him. Eustathius was also encouraged by the thought that for this he was called to the faith of Christ, in order to patiently walk the path to the heavenly homeland.

But the sorrows of Eustathius were not yet over; on the contrary, he soon had to experience new sorrows, greater than the former ones. Before he could forget his first grief, a new grief approached. He had just suffered a sad separation from his wife, and already not far from him was the loss of children. Continuing on his way, Eustathius came to a deep and very fast river. There was no ferry, no bridge across this river, and it was necessary to cross it. It was impossible to transfer both sons to the other side at once. Then Eustathius took one of them and carried it on his shoulders to the opposite side. Having planted him here, he went back to also carry the second son. But just as he had already reached the middle of the river, a cry was suddenly heard. Eustathius turned back and saw with horror how a lion seized his son and ran away with him into the desert. With a bitter and pitiful cry, Eustathius looked after the retreating beast, until he and his prey disappeared from sight. Eustathius hastened to return to his other son. But he did not have time to reach the shore, when a wolf suddenly ran out and dragged the lad into the forest. Seized on all sides by grave sorrows, Eustathius stood in the middle of the river and, as it were, drowned in a sea of ​​​​his tears. Can anyone tell how great were his heartfelt grief and sobs? He lost his wife, chaste, of the same faith and pious; he lost his children, whom he looked upon as the only consolation among the trials that befell him. It was truly a miracle that this man did not faint under the weight of such great sorrows and survived. Undoubtedly, only the almighty right hand of the Most High strengthened Eustathius in enduring these sorrows: for only He Who allowed him to fall into such temptations could send him such patience.

Coming ashore, Eustathius wept for a long time and bitterly, and then, with heartfelt sorrow, began to continue on his way. For him there was only one Comforter - God, in whom he firmly believed and for whose sake he endured all this. Eustathius did not grumble a little at God, did not begin to say: “Is it really for this that You, Lord, called me to the knowledge of You, so that I would lose my wife and children? Do You love those who believe in You, that they should perish in separation from one another?" This righteous and patient husband did not even think of anything like that. On the contrary, in deep humility he brought thanks to the Lord for the fact that it was pleasing to Him to see His servants not in worldly prosperity and vain pleasures, but in sorrows and calamities, in order to comfort them in future life eternal joy and joy.

But the Almighty God turns everything for the good, and if he allows the righteous to fall into disaster, then not to punish him, but to test his faith and courage, favoring not tears, but firm patience, and listening to his thanksgiving. Just as the Lord once kept Jonah unharmed in the belly of a whale (Jonah, ch. 2), so He kept the children of Eustathius, who were abducted by wild beasts, safe and sound. When the lion was carrying the boy into the wilderness, the shepherds saw him and started pursuing him with a cry. Having abandoned the boy, the lion sought salvation in flight. Likewise, the plowmen saw the wolf that had kidnapped the other boy and chased him with a cry. The wolf also abandoned the youth. Both the shepherds and the farmers were from the same village. They took the children and raised them.

But Eustache knew nothing of this. Continuing on his way, he either thanked God for his patience, or, conquered by human nature, he wept, exclaiming:

- Alas for me! Once I was rich, but now I am poor and deprived of everything. Alas for me! Once I was in glory, but now I am in dishonor. Alas for me! Once I was a householder and had large estates, but now I am a wanderer. Once I was like a many-leafed and fruitful tree, but now I am like a withered branch. I was surrounded at home by friends, in the streets by servants, in battles by warriors, and now I am left alone in the desert. But do not leave me, Lord! Do not despise me, You, All-seeing! Do not forget me, You are the All-Good! Lord, do not leave me until the end! I remembered, O Lord, Your words, spoken at the place of Your appearance to me: "You have to perceive sorrows, like Job." But more has already been fulfilled with me than with Job: for although he lost his property and glory, he lay on his dung, while I am in a foreign country and do not know where I should go; he had friends who consoled him - my consolation, my beloved children, wild animals, having stolen in the wilderness, devoured; although he lost his children, he could have some consolation and some service from his wife, but my good wife fell into the hands of a lawless stranger, and I, like a reed in the wilderness, sway in the storm of my bitter sorrows. Do not be angry with me, Lord, that I speak this way out of the bitterness of my heart; for I speak like a man. But on You, my Providence and Organizer of my path, I affirm, I hope in You, and with Your love, like cool dew and a breath of wind, I cool the fire of my sorrow and with Your desire, as if with some kind of sweetness, I delight the bitterness of my troubles.

Saying this with sighs and tears, Eustathius reached a certain village called Vadisis. Having settled in it, he began to work, hiring himself from the local inhabitants in order to earn a living by the labors of his hands. He worked and worked on such a thing, to which he was not accustomed, and which until then he did not know. Subsequently, Eustathius begged the inhabitants of that village to entrust him with guarding their bread, for which they paid him a small fee. So he lived in that village for fifteen years in great poverty and humility, and in many labors, so that in the sweat of his face he ate his bread. Who can depict his virtues and exploits? Anyone can appreciate them if he imagines that in the midst of such poverty and wandering, he did not exercise so much in anything as in prayers, fasting, in tears, in vigils and sighs of the heart, raising his eyes and heart to God and expecting mercy from His inexpressible mercy. . The children of Eustathius were brought up not far from there, in another village, but he did not know about them, and they themselves did not know about each other, although they lived in the same village. And his wife, as once Sarah, was preserved by God from the debauchery of that stranger who, at the very hour when he took her from a righteous husband, was stricken with a disease and, having arrived in his country, died, leaving his captive clean, without touching her. . So God guarded His faithful servant that, being in the midst of the net, she was not caught, but like a bird got rid of the net of the catchers: the net was broken, and she was delivered by the help of the Most High. After the death of that stranger, the virtuous woman became free, and lived in peace, without misfortune, obtaining food for herself by the labors of her hands.

At that time, foreigners waged war against Rome and did a lot of harm, capturing some cities and regions. Therefore, King Trajan was in great sorrow and, remembering his brave governor Plakid, said:

- If our Plakida were with us, then our enemies could not mock us; for he was terrible to his enemies, and the enemies feared his name, because he was brave and happy in battles.

And the king and all his nobles marveled at the strange circumstance that Plakida had disappeared to no one knows where with his wife and children. Having decided to send to look for him throughout his kingdom, Trajan said to those around him:

- If anyone finds me my Plakida, I will honor him with great honor and give him many gifts.

And then two good warriors, Antiochus and Akaki, who were once faithful friends of Placis and lived at his house, said:

- Autocratic king, ordered us to look for this man, who is very necessary for the entire Roman kingdom. If we had to look for it even in the most remote lands, then we would apply all our diligence.

The king rejoiced at their readiness and immediately sent them to look for Plakida. They went and traveled around many regions, looking for their beloved governor in cities and villages and asking everyone they met if anyone had seen such a person anywhere. Finally, they approached the village where Eustathius lived. Eustathius at this time guarded the bread in the field. Seeing the warriors coming towards him, he began to look closely at them and, recognizing them from afar, rejoiced and wept with joy. Sighing deeply to God in the secret of his heart, Eustathius stood on the road along which those soldiers were to pass; they, having approached Eustathius and greeted him, asked him what kind of village this was, and who owns it. Then they began to ask if there was some wanderer here, of such and such age and such and such appearance, whose name was Plakida.

Eustathius asked them:

Why are you looking for him?

They answered him:

He is our friend, and we have not seen him for a long time and do not know where he is with his wife and children. If someone had told us about him, we would have given that person a lot of gold.

Eustathius told them:

“I don't know him, and I've never heard of Placis. However, my lords, I beg you, enter the village and rest in my hut, because I see that you and your horses are tired from the road. So, rest with me, and then you can learn about the person you are looking for from someone who knows him.

The soldiers, having listened to Eustathius, went with him to the village; but did not recognize him; he knew them well, so that he almost burst into tears, but restrained himself. In that village lived one kind person, in whose house Eustathius had a haven. He led the soldiers to this man, asking him to show them hospitality and feed them.

“But I,” he added, “will repay you with my work for everything that you spend on refreshments, because these people are my acquaintances.

The man, due to his kindness, as well as heeding the request of Eustathius, diligently treated his guests. And Eustathius served them, bringing and setting food before them. At the same time, his former life came to his mind, when those whom he now serves served him like that - and he, defeated by the natural weakness of human nature, could hardly hold back tears, but hid himself before the soldiers so as not to be recognized; several times he left the hut and, after crying a little and wiping away his tears, he immediately entered again, serving them as a slave and a simple villager. The warriors, often looking at his face, began to recognize him little by little and began to quietly say to each other: “This man looks like Plakida ... is it really him? ..” And they added: “We remember that Plakida there was a deep wound on his neck, which he received in the war. If this husband has such a wound, then he is truly Plakida himself. Seeing that wound on his neck, the soldiers immediately jumped up from the table, fell at his feet, began to hug him and wept a lot for joy, saying to him:

“You are the Placis we are looking for!” You are the favorite of the king, about whom he has been grieving for so long! You are the Roman governor, about whom all warriors mourn!

Then Eustathius realized that the time had come, about which the Lord foretold him, and in which he was to receive his first dignity and his former glory and honor again, and he said to the soldiers:

“I, brethren, am the one you are looking for!” I am Plakida, with whom you fought against enemies for a long time. I am the man who was once the glory of Rome, terrible to foreigners, dear to you, now I am poor, miserable and unknown to anyone!

Their mutual joy was great, and their tears were joyful. They dressed Eustathius in expensive outfits, as their governor, handed him the message of the king and zealously asked him to immediately go to the king, saying:

“Our enemies have begun to overwhelm us, and there is no one as brave as you who could defeat and scatter them!”

The owner of that house and all his household, hearing this, marveled and were perplexed. And the news spread throughout the village that he had found great person. All the inhabitants of the village began to flock, as if to a great miracle, and looked with surprise at Eustathius, dressed as a governor and receiving honors from the soldiers. Antiochus and Akakiy told the people about the exploits of Plakida, about his courage, glory and nobility. The people, hearing that Eustathius was such a brave Roman governor, were surprised, saying: "Oh, what a great man lived among us, serving us as a mercenary!" And they bowed to him to the ground, saying:

“Why didn’t you reveal to us, sir, your noble origin and rank?”

The former owner of Plakida, with whom he lived in the house, fell at his feet, asking him not to be angry with him for disrespect on his part. And all the inhabitants of that village were ashamed at the thought that they had a great man hired as a slave. The soldiers put Eustathius on a horse and rode with him, returning to Rome, and all the villagers escorted him away with great honors. During the journey, Eustathius talked with the soldiers, and they asked him about his wife and children. He told them everything in order, what happened to him, and they wept, hearing about such his misadventures. In turn, they told him how sad the king was because of him, and not only he, but all his court, and the soldiers. Having such a conversation among themselves, after a few days they reached Rome, and the soldiers announced to the king that they had found Placis - and how it happened. The king honorably met Plakida, surrounded by all his nobles, and happily embraced him and asked about everything that had happened to him, Eustathius told the king everything that had happened to him, with his wife and children, and everyone, listening to him, was touched. After that, the king returned Eustathius to his former rank and endowed him with wealth greater than what he owned at first. All Rome rejoiced at the return of Eustathius. The king asked him to go to war against foreigners and, with his courage, defend Rome from their invasion, and also take revenge on them for taking some cities by them. Having gathered all the soldiers, Eustathius saw that they were not enough for such a war; therefore, he suggested that the king send decrees to all areas of his state and collect young men capable of military service from cities and villages, and then send them to Rome; and it was done. The king sent decrees, and many people were gathered in Rome, young and strong, capable of war. Among them were brought to Rome the two sons of Eustace, Agapius and Theopist, who by that time had already matured and were beautiful in face, stately in body and strong in strength. When they were brought to Rome, and the governor saw them, he fell in love with them very much, for his paternal nature itself attracted him to children, and he felt for them strong love. Although he did not know that they were his children, he loved them as his children, and they were always with him and sat at the same table with him, for they were dear to his heart. Following this, Eustathius went to war with foreigners and defeated them by the power of Christ. He not only took away from them the cities and regions taken by them, but also conquered all the enemy's land, and completely defeated their army. Strengthened by the power of his Lord, he showed more courage than before, and won such a brilliant victory as he had never won before.

When the war was over, and Eustathius was already returning in peace to his fatherland, he happened to be in one village, located in a picturesque place, by the river. Since this place was convenient for parking, Eustathius stopped with his soldiers for three days: for it was so pleasing to God that His faithful servant see his wife and children, and that the scattered ones gather again in one. His wife lived in the same village, having a garden, from which she earned her livelihood with great difficulty. By God's will, Agapius and Theopist, not knowing anything about their mother, set up a tent for themselves near her garden; brought up in the same village, they had one common tent and loved each other like half-brothers. They did not know that they were siblings, however, not knowing their close relationship, they kept brotherly love among themselves. Both of them lay down to rest near the garden of their parent, not far from the place where the governor's camp was. One day their mother was working in her garden around noon and overheard a conversation between Agapius and Theopist, who at that time were resting in their tent. Their conversation was as follows: they asked each other what origin each of them had, and the elder said:

- I remember a little that my father was a governor in Rome, and I don’t know why he left this city with my mother, taking me and my younger brother with him (and he had two of us). I also remember that we reached the sea and boarded the ship. Then, during the sea voyage, when we landed on the shore, our father got out of the ship, and with him my brother and I, but our mother, I don’t know for what reason, remained on the ship. I also remember that my father wept bitterly for her, we wept with him, and he continued on his way with weeping. When we came to the river, my father sat me down on the bank, and, taking my younger brother on his shoulder, he carried me to the opposite bank. When he then carried it and followed me, a lion came running, seized me and carried me into the wilderness; but the shepherds took me away from him, and I was brought up in the village that you know.

Then the younger brother, quickly getting up, threw himself on his neck with joyful tears, saying:

“Truly you are my brother, for I also remember everything that you talk about, and I myself saw when the lion kidnapped you, and at that time the wolf carried me away, but the farmers took me away from him.

Upon learning their relationship, the brothers were very happy and began to hug and kiss each other, shedding tears of joy. And their mother, hearing such a conversation, was surprised and raised her eyes to heaven with sighs and tears, for she was convinced that they were really her children, and her heart felt sweetness and joy after all bitter sorrows. However, as a reasonable woman, she did not dare to come to them and reveal herself without more reliable news, for she was a beggar and was poorly dressed. and they were prominent and glorious warriors. And she decided to go to the governor to ask his permission to return to Rome with his army: she hoped that it would be easier for her to open herself to her sons there, and also to find out about her husband, whether he was alive or not. She went to the governor, stood before him, bowed to him and said:

“I beg you, sir, order me to follow your regiment to Rome; for I am a Roman, and have been taken into captivity by foreigners into this land—for the sixteenth year now; and now, being free, I wander in a foreign country and endure extreme poverty.

Eustathius, out of the kindness of his heart, immediately bowed to her request and allowed her to return fearlessly to her fatherland. Then that wife, looking at the governor, was completely convinced that he was her husband, and stood in surprise, as if in oblivion. But Eustathius did not recognize his wife. She, however, unexpectedly receiving one joy after another, just as before one sorrow after another, inwardly prayed to God with a sigh and was afraid to open herself to her husband and say that she was his wife; for he is in great glory, and was now surrounded by a multitude of attendants; she was like the very last beggar. And she retired from his tent, praying to the Lord and her God that He Himself arranged for her husband and children to recognize her. Then she chose a more convenient time, again entered Eustathius and stood in front of him. And he, looking at her, asked:

“What else are you asking of me, old woman?”

She bowed to the ground and said:

- I beg you, my lord, do not be angry with me, your servant, because I want to ask you about one thing. Be patient and listen to me.

He told her:

- Okay, talk.

She then began her speech thus:

- Are you not Plakida, named in St. baptized by Eustathius? Didn't you - saw Christ on the cross among deer horns? Didn't you, for the sake of the Lord God, leave Rome with your wife and two children, Agapius and Theopist? Did a stranger take your wife from you on the ship? My faithful witness in heaven is Christ the Lord Himself, for whose sake I endured many misfortunes, in that I am your wife, and that by the grace of Christ I was saved from insult, for this stranger, at the very hour when he took me away from you, perished, punished by the wrath of God, but I remained pure, and now I am in misery and wandering.

Eustathius and Theopistia, his wife

Hearing all this, Eustathius seemed to wake up from a dream and immediately recognized his wife, got up and hugged her, and both of them wept a lot with great joy. And Eustathius said:

– Let us praise and give thanks to Christ our Savior, Who did not leave us with His mercy, but as He promised to comfort us after sorrows, He did so!

And they thanked God with many tears of joy. After this, when Eustathius stopped crying, his wife asked him:

- Where are our children?

He took a deep breath and replied:

“The animals ate them.

Then his wife said to him:

- Do not grieve, my lord! God helped us to find each other by accident, so He will help us to find our children.

He remarked to her:

"Didn't I tell you that the beasts ate them?"

She began to tell him everything that she had heard the day before in her garden during work - all those speeches that were between two soldiers in a tent, and from which she learned that they were their sons.

Eustathius immediately called those soldiers to him and asked them:

- What is your origin? Where were you born? Where were you brought up?

Then the eldest of them answered him thus:

“Our lord, we have remained minors after our parents, and therefore we remember little of our childhood. However, we remember that our father was a Roman governor like you, but we do not know what happened to our father, and why he left Rome at night with our mother and the two of us; we don’t know why exactly, when we sailed across the sea on a ship, our mother remained on that ship. And our father, weeping for her, went with us to one river. While he, carrying us one by one across the river, was in the middle of the river, animals stole us: I was a lion, and my brother was a wolf. But we were both saved from the beasts: for the shepherds saved and brought me up, and the farmers, my brother.

Hearing this, Eustathius and his wife recognized their children and, throwing themselves on their necks, wept for a long time. And there was great joy in the camp of Eustathius, as once in Egypt, when Joseph was recognized by his brothers (Gen. 45:1-15). A rumor spread through all the regiments about the discovery of the wife and children of their governor, and all the soldiers joyfully gathered together, and there was great rejoicing in the whole army. They were not so happy about the victories as they were about this joyful event. Thus God comforted His faithful servants, for He " The Lord kills and makes alive... The Lord makes poor and makes rich"(1 Samuel 2:6-7), brings down in sorrow and raises up to joy and gladness. And Eustathius could then speak with David:" Come, listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell [you] what He has done for my soul. I will remember to do mercy on me. The right hand of the Lord is high, the right hand of the Lord creates power!"(Ps. 65:16; 10:16; 117:16).

While Eustathius was returning from the war, rejoicing doubly: both in victory and in finding a wife and children - even before his arrival in Rome - King Trajan died; he was succeeded by Adrian, who was very cruel, hated the good people and persecuted the pious. After Eustathius entered Rome with great triumph, according to the custom of the Roman generals, and led many captives with him, surrounded by rich spoils of war, the king and all the Romans received him with honor, and his courage became even more famous than before, and everyone revered him more than before. But God, Who does not want His servants to be revered and glorified in this perverse and fickle world with vain and temporal reverence, for He has prepared for them in heaven eternal and everlasting honor and glory, showed Eustathius the path of martyrdom, for soon he again sent him dishonor and sorrow, which he joyfully endured for Christ. The wicked Adrian wanted to make a sacrifice to the demons, in gratitude for the victory over the enemies. When he entered the idol temple with his nobles, Eustathius did not follow them, but remained outside. The king asked him:

“Why don’t you want to enter the temple with us and bow to the gods?” You, after all, before others should give them thanks for the fact that they not only kept you safe and sound in the war and gave you victory, but also helped you find your wife and your children.

Eustace replied:

- I am a Christian and I know the One God of my Jesus Christ, and I honor and thank Him, and worship Him. For He gave me everything: health, and victory, and a spouse, and children. And I will not worship deaf, dumb, powerless idols.

And Eustathius went to his house. The king became angry and began to think about how to punish Eustathius for dishonoring his gods. First, he removed the rank of voivodship from him and summoned him to court, as common man with his wife and children, and exhorted them to offer sacrifice to idols; but, not being able to persuade them to this, he condemned them to be eaten by wild beasts. And so Saint Eustathius, this glorious and brave warrior, went to the circus, condemned to death, along with his wife and sons. But he was not ashamed of this dishonor, he was not afraid of death for Christ, whom he zealously served, confessing before all holy name His. He strengthened both his holy wife and his children, so that they would not be afraid of death for the Lord, the Giver of Life of all; and they went to death as to a feast, strengthening each other with hope for a future reward. The animals were released on them, but did not touch them, for as soon as any of the animals approached them, he immediately returned back, bowing his head before them. The animals softened their fury, and the king became even more furious and ordered them to be taken to prison. And the next day he ordered to heat a copper ox and throw Saint Eustace with his wife and children into it.

When St. As the martyrs approached the place of the terrible execution, then, raising their hands to heaven, they offered up an ardent prayer to the Lord, as if contemplating some heavenly phenomenon, as can be seen from the first words of their prayer. This prayer was as follows: “Lord, God of hosts, invisible to us, visible to all! Hear us, praying to You, and accept our last prayer. Here we are united, and You made us worthy of the fate of Your saints; like the three youths cast into the fire in Babylon, do not were rejected by Thee, so now make us worthy to die in this fire, so that You deign to accept us as a favorable sacrifice. We still pray, Lord: vouchsafe that our bodies not be parted, but that they lie down together. In response to this prayer, a Divine voice was heard from heaven: “May it be to you as you ask! And more will be to you, for you have endured many misfortunes and have not been defeated. Go in peace, accept victorious crowns for your sufferings, rest forever centuries."

The red-hot ox was for the holy martyrs, as the Chaldean furnace, cooled with dew, was for the holy youths (Dan. 3:21). Being in this will, the holy martyrs, having prayed, surrendered their souls to God and passed into the kingdom of heaven. Three days later, Adrian approached that ox, wishing to see the ashes of the burnt martyrs; opening the doors, the tormentors found their bodies whole and unharmed, and not a single hair on their heads was burned, and their faces looked like the faces of those sleeping and shone with wonderful beauty. All the people there exclaimed:

Great is the Christian God!

The king returned in shame to his palace, and all the people reproached him for his malice - that he had in vain put to death such a necessary governor for Rome. Christians, having taken the honest bodies of the holy martyrs, gave them over to burial, glorifying God, marvelous in His saints, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, to Him be honor, glory and worship from all of us, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.

The relics of St. Eustathius and his family is in Rome in the church named after him.

Kontakion, tone 2:

Having imitated the passions of Christ in reality, and having drunk this zealous cup, the fellow, Eustathius, and the glory of the heir was thou, from God himself accepting from the height of divine abandonment.

More than others, those brave warriors deserve respect, who have the habit of fighting the enemy not in a general formation, but rushing at the enemy one by one. Although the Lord allows them to fall temporarily many times, so that they do not exalt themselves, however, he never leaves them completely without grace-filled help, but restores them and makes them invincible. One of these brave warriors of Christ, namely the blessed Nikita, gained special fame for himself after the Monk Isaac the Recluse. The most praiseworthy Polycarp reports about him from the words of Saint Simon as follows.

When he was hegumen of the Monk Nikon, one brother of the saint Caves Monastery, named Nikita, began to ask the abbot to bless him to labor in solitude and retire in seclusion.

My son! it will not do you any good, in your youth, to sit idly. It will be much better if you stay with the brethren and work together without losing your reward. You yourself saw how our brother Isaac the cave-dweller was tempted in seclusion by demons and would have died if he had not been saved by the great grace of God through the prayers of our venerable fathers Anthony and Theodosius.

Nikita replied to this:

Never, my father, will I be tempted by any temptation. I have the intention to firmly resist the demonic temptations and will pray to God, the Lover of mankind, that He would give me the gift of wonderworking, as once Isaac the hermit, who still works many miracles.

Then the abbot said to him more insistently:

Your desire is beyond your strength. Take heed, my son, lest you fall for your prestige. I command you to serve better than the brethren, and for your obedience you will be crowned by God.

However, Nikita did not want to obey the hegumen's instructions: he could not overcome his strong zeal for the reclusive life. Therefore, what he aspired to, he fulfilled: he closed himself in a cave, firmly blocked the entrance and remained alone in prayer, not going anywhere. However, after only a few days, he did not escape the wiles of the devil: during prayer singing, he heard a voice praying with him, and felt an inexpressible fragrance. Tempted by this, he thought to himself thus: if it were not an angel, he would not pray with me, and there would be no fragrance of the Holy Spirit here.

He began to pray even more earnestly, saying:

God! appear to me Thyself palpably, that I may see Thee.

I will not appear to you because you are young; otherwise you will become proud and may fall.

The recluse continued to tearfully ask:

Never, Lord, will I be offended. The abbot taught me not to listen to demonic temptations, but I will do everything that You command.

Then the soul-destroying serpent, having obtained power over him, said:

It is impossible for a man clothed with flesh to see me. Therefore, I send my angel to be with you, and you do his will.

Then immediately a demon appeared before him in the form of an angel. Nikita fell to the ground and bowed to him like an angel. Bes said to him:

From now on, you no longer pray, but read books. In this way you will converse with God, and you will give useful instructions to those who come to you, and I will always pray to the Creator of all for your salvation.

The hermit believed these words and, seduced, no longer prayed, but began to read books zealously. At the same time, he saw the demon constantly praying for him and rejoiced, thinking that it was an angel who was praying for him. With those who came to him, he talked a lot on the basis of Holy Scripture about the benefits of the soul; he even began to prophesy. His fame spread everywhere, and everyone marveled at the fulfillment of his predictions. Once he sent a notice to Prince Izyaslav: "Today Prince Gleb Svyatoslavich was killed; immediately send your son Svyatopolk to the princely throne in Novgorod." As he said, so it did. Indeed, a few days later, news came of the murder of Prince Gleb. From that time on, they began to talk even more about the recluse, that he was a prophet, and both princes and boyars fully believed him. - In fact, the demon, of course, does not know the future, but what did he himself do - if, for example, he taught evil people kill, or steal, then he proclaims. In the same way, when those who sought consolation from him came to the hermit, the demon, revered by him as an angel, told him everything that had happened to them. Nikita prophesied, and everything he predicted came true.

At the same time, no one could compare with Nikita in the knowledge of books Old Testament; he knew everything by heart: the book of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Judges, Kings, all the prophecies in order. In general, he knew all the books of the Old Testament very well, but he never wanted to see or hear, not only to read the holy gospel and apostolic books given to us by the grace of God for our salvation and establishment in goodness; he did not want to talk to anyone about the New Testament. Hence it became clear to everyone that he was tempted by the devil. Dejected by this, they came to the tempted reverend fathers: hegumen Nikon, John, who was hegumen after him, Pimen the faster, Isaiah, who later became the bishop of Rostov, Matvey the seer, Isaac the recluse, Agapit the doctor, Gregory the wonderworker, Nicholas, the former bishop of Tmutarakan, Nestor the chronicler, Gregory the compiler of the canons, Theoktist, the former Bishop of Chernigov, Onesiphorus the seer. All of them, glorified by virtues, having come, offered up prayers to God for Nikita and drove the demon away from him, so that Nikita no longer saw him. Then, leading him out of the cave, they asked him to tell them something from the Old Testament. He began to swear that he had never even read those books that he knew by heart very recently; moreover, now he did not know a single word of them. Now he could hardly be taught to read and write. Gradually coming to his senses through the prayers of the venerable fathers, he confessed his sin and bitterly repented of it. After that, he imposed on himself a special abstinence and exploits, began to lead a strict and humble life and surpassed others in virtues. The philanthropic Lord, seeing such deeds of blessed Nikita, not rejecting his former virtues, in which he practiced from the day of his youth, accepted his true repentance, and just as once accepting the repentance of St. Peter, who denied Him three times, said to him: feed the sheep My, so similar, gave the sign of acceptance of repentance to this blessed Nikita. For his great love, revealed in the observance of the commandments, the Lord created him the shepherd of His verbal flock, elevating him to the Novgorod episcopal throne. There the Lord, in order to assure the flock and fully convince them of forgiving the saint of the temptation that happened to him, glorified his virtuous life with the gift of miracles. So, once, during a lack of rain, the Saint prayed to God and sent down rain from heaven; another time he extinguished the fire of the city with his prayers; he performed many other miracles. After the good management of his verbal flock, he passed to the Lord in eternal life, in 1108, January 30. He was a bishop for thirteen years. He was buried with honor in the aisle great church Holy Fathers Joachim and Anna. The body of the blessed Nikita remained hidden in the coffin for four hundred and fifty years, and then in 1558, during the reign of the pious sovereign John Vasilyevich, autocrat of all Russia, under Metropolitan Macarius and under Archbishop Theodosius of Novgorod, the relics of Saint Nikita were found whole and completely unharmed. To this day they radiate many healings to those who come to them in faith. Glory to our God, now and forever, and forever and ever, amen.

Holy ve-li-ko-mu-che-nick Ni-ki-ta was a goth. He was born and lived on the banks of the Danube. He suffered for Christ in the year 372. Then the hri-sti-an-sky faith was already shi-ro-ko race-pro-stra-ni-las in the country of the Goths. St. Ni-ki-ta ve-ro-val in Christ and accepted the Baptism from the Gotf-th epi-sko-pa Fe-o-fi-la, participant-no-ka I All-len-sko-go So-bo-ra. Ras-pro-country-non-niya of christ-sti-an-stva became-whether about-ti-twist-sya language-ni-ki-goth-fa, in re-zul-ta-te of something -la inter-to-common swearing.

We-li-ko-mu-che-nick Ni-ki-ta Gotfsky

After the be-dy of Fri-ti-ger-na, the head-of-viv-she-go howl-sko hri-sti-an and on-nes-she-go in the same language no-ku Afa-na-ri-hu, the faith of Christ-sto-va has become more successful than the race among the goths. Bishop Ul-fi-la, pre-em-nick epi-sko-pa Fe-o-fi-la, co-created Gothic az-boo-ku and translated into the Gothic language many th sacred books. In the race-pro-country of Christ-sti-an-stva among co-tribes-men-ni-kov, St. Ni-ki-ta also worked diligently. With his example and inspiring word, he led many pagans to Christ's faith. One-na-ko Afa-na-rih, after-a-ra-zhe-niya, su-mel again to right your strength, return to your country and resurrect -but-twist your former mo-gu-s-stvo. Remaining tongue-less, he continued to hate-see-child christian and persecute them. Saint Ni-ki-ta, subjected to many tortures, was thrown into the fire, where he died in the year 372. A friend of the saint Ni-ki-you, hri-sti-a-nin Ma-ri-an, but whose body was found by mu-che-no-ka, not damaged with fire and illumined with miraculous light, re-carried him and betrayed him in gre-be-niyu in Ki-li-kii. Subsequently, it was-lo pe-re-not-se-but in Kon-stan-ti-no-pol. Part of the holy relics ve-li-ko-mu-che-no-ka No-ki-you later re-re-not-se-on in the mo-on-stay you-so -kie De-cha-ny in Serbia.

Prayers

Troparion to the Great Martyr Nikita of Gotf, Tone 4

Thy martyr, O Lord, Nikita / in his suffering receive an incorruptible crown from Thee, our God: / have Thy strength, / put down the tormentors, / crush and the demons of weak insolence. / With prayers / save our souls.

Kontakion to Great Martyr Nikita of Gotf, Tone 2

Splendid charms with your standing, / and we will receive the crown of victory in your sufferings, / rejoice gloriously from the Angels, / name Nikita with them, / with them Christ God pray unceasingly for all of us.

Prayer to Great Martyr Nikita Gotfsky

Oh, great passion-bearer of Christ and miracle worker Great Martyr Nikito! Falling down to your holy and miraculous image, your deeds and your miracles and your many compassion for people are glorifying, we pray to you diligently: show us humble and sinners your holy and powerful intercession, for it is sin for our sake, not for God's sake, children of God's freedom Those who have a lord and the lord of boldly ask, but we are offering a prayer for him, we will appeal to your representation, ask us the good Dan and the bodily, we will do the same, to the same, to be the same, to be the same, to be the same, to be any kind of ugly suffering patience, perseverance in prayers, health of soul and body, fruitfulness of the earth, well-being of the air, contentment of worldly needs, peaceful and pious life on earth, a Christian life, and a good answer at the Last Judgment of Christ. Also, O passion-bearer of Christ, ask the Heavenly King for peace, health and salvation for our Russian country, and for enemies victory and overcoming, prosperity, peace and prosperity. To the Christ-loving army, be a fighter and helper against enemies and show your holy intercession to all Orthodox people: heal the sick, comfort the grieving, help the needy. She, pleasing to God and long-suffering martyr! Do not forget your holy abode and all those who live in it and labor as nuns and secular ones, but hurry them to wear the yoke of Christ in humility and patience and mercifully deliver them from all troubles and temptations. All of us led us to the tiho blessings of the rescue and the sewners of the behavior of the uniform of Christ with your holy prayers, and we will glorify the generosity of the Father and the Sin and the Holy Believer, and the sorry and thoroughly, and thoroughly. Amen.

Among the finds collected in the city of Tver on the eroded banks of the river. Volga, Tvertsy, Tmaki, a significant group are crosses with the image of St. torment. Nikita-besogon.

Similar finds are known in Staritsa and its environs, as well as in Rzhev, Torzhok and Bely Gorodok.

In Orthodox church history, there are several saints who had the name Nikita: Nikita the Besogon and Nikita the Martyr (Nikita the Gotsky) - the first Christians to be tortured and killed for Christ in Constantinople, as well as Nikita the Stylite (who lived in the 18th century in Russia on top of the column).

Before the split of the church in 1666, the most famous and revered of them was Nikita the Besogon. In large quantities, ancient crosses and various works of small plastic art bearing the image of St. Nikita are found. How to recognize Nikita the besogon? He is depicted with a stick or shackles clutched in his hand, "beating the demon."

This plot illustrates one of the episodes of the Byzantine apocryphal life of St. Nikita, the son of a certain king Maximian (Istrin V.M., 1899). Having become a Christian, Nikita aroused the extreme displeasure of his pagan father and, after a series of torments, was thrown into prison, where a demon appeared to him, taking on an angelic appearance. The demon began to persuade Nikita to bow to pagan idols and thereby avoid new torments.

Nikita doubted the angelic nature of the guest, prayed to the Lord!, after which the archangel Michael descended to him from heaven and ordered the false angel to be put to the test. Nikita grabbed the demon, stepped on him and beat him with his iron shackles, forcing him to confess his devilish nature.

When the king again summoned him for interrogation, the saint brought the demon with him by the hand and showed his father the one who rules over him. BUT so that his father would believe in Christ, Nikita resurrected two long-dead spouses.

But nothing worked on Maximian. And then the whole city with the queen rebelled against him. On this day, Nikita baptized eighteen thousand four hundred people and soon rested in God.

In his life it is said that he helps in teaching, heals, casts out demons, frees from slavery, helps to repent of sins and free himself from the temptations of the devil.

Associated with the name of St. Nikita two incantations, in which the relation ancient Russian man to him as the main defender from demons. One of them is read before going to bed, the other is attributed to Nikita himself before his death.

It is precisely because of its protective nature that the iconographic composition "Nikita Beating the Demon" was extremely popular in Russia. Its earliest incarnations are the relief on Western facade of the Dmitrovsky Cathedral in Vladimir(1197) ( where, according to the prophecies, Seraphim of Sarov himself will bring the future Russian Orthodox Tsar for anointing)

and double-sided stone icon of the 13th century. with images of Nicholas the Wonderworker and Nikita with a demon, presumably of Novgorod origin(Nikolaeva T.V., 1983, pl. 14, 2, cat. No. 68).

As is currently believed, most widespread, this plot had in the XIV-XVI centuries, when the composition with Nikita and the demon began to be reproduced in abundance on stone and copper-cast icons, encolpion crosses, pectoral and pectoral crosses, and serpentine amulets. A brief overview of material sources and their understanding can be found in a number of special works published since the 1890s. (Chetirkin I.D., 1898; 1900; Dobrykin N.G., 1900) to the present (Tkachenko V.A., Khukharev V.V., 1999, p. 68-79; Khukharev V.V., 1994 , pp. 210-215).

In the works of metalwork, St. Nikita Besogon is almost always represented with his hand raised to strike. He beats the demon either with chains, or with a stick or club, or with a rope. Nikita is depicted either in short belted clothes of a tunic-like cut and a cloak, or in long clothes resembling a cassock, or in military armor. Nikita's appearance also turns out to be different: he can be depicted both as a beardless young man and as a mature bearded husband.
The appearance of the demon is also different: most often it has anthropomorphic features, occasionally zoomorphic or even ornithomorphic. Sometimes architectural elements are included in the composition, symbolizing the dungeon in which St. Nikita is imprisoned.

Until the 90s of the 14th century. on icons and crosses, the Monk Nikita beat the demon in his guise (with a horned tail, etc.).
But what is surprising, according to the latest archaeological excavations carried out in the Ryazan region, underwear were found, where instead of a beating demon a triangle was depicted - a pyramid!

Begs the conclusion that the Orthodox in the late 14th, early 15th centuries. they clearly understood where the evil comes from for the Russian people and through cult plastic ( pectoral crosses and obrazki) tried to protect themselves from this evil.

One of the ancient temples in honor of Nikita. The notorious Athanasius Nikitin set off on a journey across three seas from the Nikitsky Church.

According to legend, a pectoral cross with two images of St. Nikita belonged to Sergius of Radonezh(later kept in the Pavlo-Obnorsky monastery of the Vologda province).

The memory of Nikita Besogon was celebrated on September 15/28, on the same day as the memory of the Great Martyr Nikita of Gotha, a Christian military commander who suffered for the faith from the king of the Goths Athanarich (c. 372), therefore, even in the Middle Ages, the events set forth in the lives of both martyrs began to be perceived as related to to the same person.

After the introduction in 1720 of the state administration of the Russian Orthodox Church(through the Synod) under Peter I, all the saints were censored. The apocryphal life of Nikita (Besogon), the son of Tsar Maximian, was included in the list of Christian literature prohibited from reading, and the name of Nikita Besogon disappeared from the church calendar. P it's time to restore his name.

His veneration was transferred to the Great Martyr Nikita of Gotha, and the iconographic plot with the beating of a demon became the property of the Old Believers and was occasionally reproduced by them according to old models until the 19th century. (Tkachenko V.A., Khukharev V.V., 1999, pp. 72-73, fig. 15-19).

** * **

Note

"The Torment of Nikita" refers to the apocryphal translated lives, or, rather, martyrias ("martyria" - "martyrdom") of the first Christian martyrs who died for the faith. His memory is celebrated by the church on September 15 (28).

The apocryphal "Life of Nikita" was included in the Prologues (collections of short stories about the saints) and Chet'i-Minei, but less frequently than the canonical Life of Nikita the Goth.

The mention of the “Torment of Nikita” is found in the index of retracted books from the 14th century. (Pogodinsky Nomocanon, GPB, collected by Pogodin, No. 31), it was included in the "Rule 69 of the Council of Laodicea" along with the "Apostolic Detours", "St. George's Torment". The Slavic-Russian lists of the index comment on this work: “Nikitina’s torment, calling him like a tsar’s son, if not taco” (Pogodinsky Nomocanon), “Nikita’s torment that the son of the tsars Maximianov and the demon tormented” (State Historical Museum, Synod. Collection, No. 491, end of the 16th century). In the titles of some lists of the "Torment" itself, the words: "who tormented the demon" turned into "whom he himself tormented."

Slavic-Russian lists of "The Torment of Nikita" have been known since the end of the 15th century. (Central National Library of the Ukrainian SSR, collection of Mus., IV, No. 208, Menaion of 1489, list of the Athos Hilandar monastery, No. 75). The translation of "The Life of Nikita" was carried out according to the publication of A. N. Pypin in "Monuments of Ancient Russian Literature". Issue. 3. St. Petersburg, 1862, according to the list of the beginning of the 16th century. from Rumyantsevsky Solemnity No. 436, RSL, with the involvement of Greek and Slavic copies published by V. M. Istrin (see Istrin V. M. Apocryphal torment of Nikita. Odessa, 1898).

Pyramid of Freemasons-Illuminati-Satanists in the end

Prayer one

O great passion-bearer of Christ and wonder-worker Great Martyr Nikito! Falling down to your holy and miraculous image, do your deeds and your miracles and glorify your many compassion for people, we pray diligently: show us humble and sinners your holy and powerful intercession, for it is a sin for our sake not the imams of the freedom of the children of God, hedgehog about the needs Boldly ask our Lord and our Lord, but we offer you a prayer book favorable to him and we cry out for your intercession, ask the Lord for usable gifts to our souls and bodies, right faith, undoubted hope of salvation, love for all unfeigned, courage in temptations, in suffering patience, constancy in prayers, health of souls and bodies, fruitfulness of the earth, well-being of the air, contentment of worldly needs, peaceful and pious life on earth, Christian life death and a good answer at the terrible judgment of Christ. Also, O passion-bearer of Christ, ask the Heavenly King for our Russian country peace, health and salvation, and for enemies victory and overcoming, prosperity, peace and prosperity. Be a soratai and helper to the enemies of the Christ-loving army, and show your holy intercession to all Orthodox people: heal the sick, comfort the grieving, help the needy. She, the servant of God and the long-suffering martyr! Do not forget your holy abode and all those living in it and the ascetic nuns and worldly ones, but hurry them to wear the yoke of Christ in humility and patience and mercifully deliver them from all troubles and temptations. Bring us all to a quiet haven of salvation and the heirs of the blessed kingdom of Christ with your holy prayers, may we glorify and sing the great bounty of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, in the Trinity glorified and worshiped God, and your holy intercession forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer two

O great passion-bearer of Christ Nikito! Hear the prayer of us sinners, and deliver us (names) from all sorrow and finding misfortune, from sudden death and from all evil: at the hour of separation of the soul from the body, otzhen, passion-bearer, every evil thought and evil demons, as if our souls will be accepted with peace in a place of light, Christ the Lord our God, as from Him is the cleansing of sins, and He is the salvation of our souls, He deserves all glory, honor and worship, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever.

personal request

O great passion-bearer of Christ and wonderworker, Great Martyr Nikita! Hear us praying to you with tears (names), and beg Christ God to have mercy on us and give us (content of the petition), let us praise and sing the great bounty of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and your holy intercession, forever and ever. Amen.